A shock report claims an alarming proportion of Manchester mums and dads are either turning a blind eye or actively taking their children out of school to go shopping.

Now education bosses are getting tough as part of a government-approved blitz.

Figures obtained by the Manchester Evening News show the number of parents successfully prosecuted could double this academic year.

Dozens have already been hauled before courts to face fines up to é2,500 or orders to take lessons in being good parents.

Bernard Stone, executive member for education at Manchester council, said the zero-tolerance policy was here to stay.

"Parents need to understand that if they continue to condone their child's absence from school we will pursue them and they may face legal action.

"It's not just the council that is determined to ensure parents fulfil their legal obligations. Magistrates, too, are getting tougher on parents."

In December, truancy sweeps involving special hit squads picked up nearly 3,000 children in Greater Manchester.

A report by chief education officer Mick Walters claims that in 50 per cent of cases parents know what is happening.

His report says: "Parents are either aware of the non-attendance and take no action or are directly involved, for example taking pupils shopping."

The government has pledged to speed up the time it takes to prosecute parents.

Council chiefs in Manchester currently give suspected offenders ten weeks to change their ways.

Forty-six families were prosecuted in the last academic year. The council set a target of doubling that figure for September 2002-August 2003.

Already more than 60 prosecutions have been taken out with five months of the year still to run.

Government figures for 2001-02 showed Manchester and Salford had the highest rate of authorised pupil absence in Britain. More than 1 in 10 children were off school because of sickness or some parental request.